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Industry Leader John Maraganore, Ph.D., Joins Cybrexa Therapeutics as Strategic…
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Industry Leader John Maraganore, Ph.D., Joins Cybrexa Therapeutics as Strategic Advisor
NEW HAVEN, Conn., June 25, 2024— Cybrexa Therapeutics, a clinical-stage oncology biotechnology company developing a novel class of tumor-targeting peptide drug conjugate (PDC) therapeutics, today announced that John Maraganore, Ph.D., has joined as a Strategic Advisor to the Company’s Executive Leadership Team. In this role, Dr. Maraganore will provide strategic guidance and leverage his extensive experience in the biotech industry to support the advancement of our alphalex™ technology platform, including progressing our lead candidate, a first-in-class peptide drug conjugate, CBX-12, (alphalex – exatecan) into Phase 2 ovarian cancer clinical trials, in the coming months.
“This strategic appointment underscores our unwavering dedication to growth and innovation, and we are thrilled to have John join us at such an exciting time,” said Per Hellsund, President and CEO, Cybrexa. “As we prepare for our next important milestones, we are confident John’s insights and deep industry experience will propel the Company and the alphalex technology platform forward.”
“Cybrexa’s innovative approach, leveraging pH in the tumor microenvironment to selectively kill cancer tissue while sparing healthy tissue, has the capability to revolutionize cancer treatment,” said Dr. John Maraganore. “The alphalex platform’s unique attributes, combined with the Company’s commitment to developing novel treatment options for patients, align perfectly with my own dedication to advance groundbreaking therapies for patients. I am particularly encouraged to see the recent efficacy and safety data from CBX-12’s Phase 1 trial, which showed activity in six different tumor types. I am excited to be part of this potentially transformative journey.”
Dr. Maraganore served as the founding CEO and a Director of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals from 2002 to 2021, where he spearheaded the company’s growth from early-stage RNA interference (RNAi) research to the global approval and commercialization of their first four RNAi therapeutics. Under his leadership, the Company’s market capitalization value reached $25 billion, and he forged more than 20 major strategic pharmaceutical alliances. Before Alnylam, he was at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he oversaw the Company’s product franchises in oncology, cardiovascular, inflammatory and metabolic diseases, in addition to holding leadership roles in M&A, strategy, and biotherapeutics. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Chicago. Currently, he is a Venture Partner at ARCH Venture Partners, a Venture Advisor at Atlas Ventures, and a Senior Advisor for Blackstone Life Science. Beyond his venture capital roles, Dr. Maraganore serves on the boards of several privately held and public companies, as well as foundations.
About CBX-12
CBX-12 is a clinical-stage, first-in-class peptide drug conjugate (PDC) that utilizes Cybrexa’s proprietary alphalex™ technology to enhance delivery of exatecan to tumor cells and is composed of a pH-Low Insertion Peptide (pHLIP®), a linker and exatecan. CBX-12 is designed to increase the efficacy and reduce the toxicity of topoisomerase I inhibition by delivering exatecan, a highly potent, second-generation topoisomerase I inhibitor, directly to the tumor cells. As an antigen-independent therapy, CBX-12 may have broad utility in patients who are not eligible for antigen-targeted therapies, including monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and has potential for use in combination regimens with other anti-cancer agents and immunotherapies. Data from the ongoing Phase 1 trial of CBX-12 in patients with metastatic solid tumors demonstrated preliminary anti-tumor activity in a heavily pretreated patient population with a favorable safety profile.
About the alphalex™ Technology Platform
The Cybrexa alphalex™ technology is a novel antigen-independent, peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) platform that enables targeted delivery of highly potent anticancer treatments and aims to revolutionize the standard of care in oncology. The platform consists of a pH-Low Insertion Peptides (pHLIPs®) peptide, linker, and small molecule anti-cancer agent. pHLIP peptides are a family of pH-Low Insertion Peptides that target acidic cell surfaces. pHLIP was developed at Yale University and the University of Rhode Island, and is exclusively licensed to pHLIP, Inc., and Cybrexa is a sublicensee of pHLIP, Inc. To date the alphalex platform has generated three programs at Cybrexa; CBX-12, CBX-13 and CBX-15.
About Cybrexa
Cybrexa is a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel antigen-independent tumor-targeting peptide drug conjugate (PDC) therapeutics. The company is led by a dynamic team of highly successful life science entrepreneurs and veteran drug development scientists. It is on a mission to create therapeutics that revolutionize the standard of care in oncology. Cybrexa’s robust pipeline aims to combat breast cancer, ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer and a range of other tumors. Its assets are built on Cybrexa’s alphalex™ technology platform, which enables intracellular delivery of highly potent anticancer treatments. Cybrexa is based in New Haven, Conn. and was founded in 2017. For more information about Cybrexa, please visit www.cybrexa.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Investor Contact:
Per Hellsund, CEO, Cybrexa Therapeutics
860-799-1517
[email protected]
Media Contact:
Tara DiMilia, TellMed Strategies
908-884-7024
[email protected]
Cybrexa Regains Rights to CBX-12
Full rights returned to Cybrexa for CBX-12 effective April 25, 2024
NEW HAVEN, Conn., February 6, 2024— Cybrexa Therapeutics, a clinical-stage oncology biotechnology company developing a novel class of tumor-targeting peptide drug conjugate (PDC) therapeutics, today announced the Company will regain all rights to CBX-12 (alphalex™ exatecan), a clinical-stage, first-in-class peptide drug conjugate that utilizes Cybrexa’s proprietary alphalex technology to enhance delivery of exatecan to tumor cells, as its collaboration partner, Exelixis, Inc., has provided a notice of termination for the right to acquire CBX-12.
“We appreciate the excellent collaboration we had with Exelixis and the advances we made working together on the CBX-12 clinical program. This collaboration has positioned Cybrexa to move CBX-12 into phase II trials later this year,” said Per Hellsund, President & CEO, Cybrexa.
About CBX-12
CBX-12 is a clinical-stage, first-in-class peptide drug conjugate (PDC) that utilizes Cybrexa’s proprietary alphalex technology to enhance delivery of exatecan to tumor cells and is composed of a pH-Low Insertion Peptide (pHLIP®), a linker and exatecan. CBX-12 is designed to increase the efficacy and reduce the toxicity of topoisomerase I inhibition by delivering exatecan, a highly potent, second-generation topoisomerase I inhibitor, directly to the tumor cells. As an antigen-independent therapy, CBX-12 may have broad utility in patients who are not eligible for antigen-targeted therapies, including monoclonal antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), and has potential for use in combination regimens with other anti-cancer agents and immunotherapies. Data from the ongoing Phase 1 trial of CBX-12 in patients with metastatic solid tumors demonstrated preliminary anti-tumor activity in a heavily pretreated patient population, including one complete response in a patient with ovarian cancer and three partial responses, two in breast and one in ovarian. Based on this data, the company is considering the initiation of Phase 2 trials in breast, ovarian, colorectal, and gastric cancers.
About the alphalex™ Technology Platform
The Cybrexa alphalex™ technology is a novel antigen-independent, peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) platform that enables targeted delivery of highly potent anticancer treatments and aims to revolutionize the standard of care in oncology. The platform consists of a pH-Low Insertion Peptides (pHLIPs®) peptide, linker, and small molecule anti-cancer agent. pHLIP peptides are a family of pH-Low Insertion Peptides that target acidic cell surfaces. pHLIP was developed at Yale University and the University of Rhode Island, and is exclusively licensed to pHLIP, Inc., and Cybrexa is a sublicensee of pHLIP, Inc.
About Cybrexa
Cybrexa is a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel antigen-independent tumor-targeting peptide drug conjugate (PDC) therapeutics. The company is led by a dynamic team of highly successful life science entrepreneurs and veteran drug development scientists. Cybrexa investors include Advantage Capital Connecticut, Connecticut Innovations, Elm Street Ventures and HighCape Capital. It is on a mission to create therapeutics that revolutionize the standard of care in oncology. Cybrexa’s robust pipeline aims to combat breast, ovarian, non-small cell lung cancer and a range of other tumors. Its assets are built on Cybrexa’s alphalex™ technology platform, which enables intracellular delivery of highly potent anticancer treatments. Cybrexa is based in New Haven, Conn. and was founded in 2017. For more information about Cybrexa, please visit www.cybrexa.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Investor Contact:
Per Hellsund, CEO, Cybrexa Therapeutics
860-799-1517
[email protected]
Media Contact:
Tara DiMilia, TellMed Strategies
908-884-7024
[email protected]
Cybrexa Therapeutics to Debut Preclinical Data Demonstrating CBX-15 is Safe and Highly Efficacious in 13762 Triple Negative Breast Cancer Model at 35th AACR-NCI-EORTC Symposium
Preclinical Data Demonstrate CBX-15’s Anti-Tumor Efficacy in Animal Models and Ability to Enhance Immunogenicity and Induce Immune Memory through pH-Based Tumor Targeting
NEW HAVEN, Conn., Oct. 10, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cybrexa Therapeutics, a clinical-stage oncology biotechnology company developing a novel class of tumor-targeting peptide drug conjugate (PDC) therapeutics, today announced it will present data findings on its preclinical candidate, CBX-15 (alphalex™-MMAE) for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer in a poster session at the 35th AACR-NCI-EORTC (ANE) Symposium. The event is taking place October 11-15, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts.
“In this preclinical study, CBX-15 demonstrated anti-tumor activity and efficacy without toxicity,” said Vishwas Paralkar, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Cybrexa Therapeutics. “These compelling data instill confidence and align with the Company’s strategy to progress CBX-15 to Phase 1 clinical trials in 1Q of 2024. This achievement marks a pivotal milestone in our evolving therapeutic pipeline and offers optimism for the future landscape of cancer treatment.”
CBX-15 rapidly regressed tumors in animal models, resulting in complete responses without damaging healthy tissues such as bone marrow, and invoked an increased resistance to live tumor rechallenge and a doubling of bone marrow-resident CD4 T-cells 50 days post-dose.
Details for the poster session are as follows:
Abstract Title: Evaluation of antigen-agnostic anti-tumor activity and immunological memory induced by CBX-15 (alphalexTM-MMAE) in the rat syngeneic breast cancer model
Poster Number: B141
Session: Poster Session B
Session Date and Time: Friday, October 13, 2023 | 12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET
Session Location: Level 2, Exhibit Hall D
About the study
This study evaluated the efficacy and anti-tumor immunological memory induced by CBX-15 in animal models bearing syngeneic 13762 mammary adenocarcinoma tumors (N= 344). The development of anti-tumor immunological memory was examined in CBX-15-cured subjects by in vivo/ex vivo rechallenge with live tumor cells and subsequent assessment of tumor rejection, cytokine release by T-cells, tumor immune cell infiltration, and memory T-cell composition of bone marrow.
About CBX-15
CBX-15 is a peptide-drug conjugate consisting of alphalex™–monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE). The alphalex™ is a unique variant of pH-Low Insertion Peptide1 (pHLIP®) designed to target the low pH microenvironment of cancer cells, a universal feature of all rapidly growing tumors. The peptide of CBX-15 forms an alpha helix only in low pH conditions, resulting in unidirectional insertion of the peptide and delivery of MMAE across the cancer cell membrane, and avoidance of delivery to healthy tissues, including immune cells.
About the alphalex™ Technology Platform
The Cybrexa alphalex™ technology is a novel antigen-independent, peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) platform that enables targeted delivery of highly potent anticancer treatments and aims to revolutionize the standard of care in oncology. The platform consists of a pH-Low Insertion Peptides (pHLIPs®) peptide, linker, and small molecule anti-cancer agent. pHLIP peptides are a family of pH-Low Insertion Peptides that target acidic cell surfaces. pHLIP was developed at Yale University and the University of Rhode Island, and is exclusively licensed to pHLIP, Inc., and Cybrexa is a sublicensee of pHLIP, Inc.
About Cybrexa
Cybrexa is a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel antigen-independent tumor-targeting peptide drug conjugate (PDC) therapeutics. The company is led by a dynamic team of highly successful life science entrepreneurs and veteran drug development scientists. Cybrexa investors include Advantage Capital Connecticut, Connecticut Innovations, Elm Street Ventures and HighCape Capital. It is on a mission to create therapeutics that revolutionize the standard of care in oncology. Cybrexa’s robust pipeline aims to combat breast, ovarian, non-small cell lung cancer and a range of other tumors. Its assets are built on Cybrexa’s alphalex™ technology platform, which enables intracellular delivery of highly potent anticancer treatments. Cybrexa is based in New Haven, Conn. and was founded in 2017. For more information about Cybrexa, please visit www.cybrexa.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Investor Contact:
Per Hellsund, CEO, Cybrexa Therapeutics
860-799-1517
[email protected]
Media Contact:
Tara DiMilia, TellMed Strategies
908-884-7024
[email protected]
1 Wyatt LC, Lewis JS, Andreev OA, Reshetnyak YK, Engleman DM. Applications of pHLIP Technology for Cancer Imaging and Therapy. Trends Biotechnol. 2017. 35(7):653-664.